GS1 Canada’s ECCnet Recall solution reduced the time to create a recall notification by 83%*

GS1 Canada’s ECCnet Recall solution reduced the time to distribute the notification by 80%*

(*based on a GS1 Canada study with Recall Ready users, when compared to other systems and processes)

When a recall strikes, consumer safety relies on the rapid removal of the recalled product so time is of the essence.

GS1 Canada’s ECCnet Recall is a web-based notification solution enabling the development and distribution of standardized product recall notifications to help remove recalled products from the supply chain as quickly and efficiently as possible.

ECCnet Recall is available for three categories, with attributes tailored to each.

Food and Beverage

General Merchandise

Healthcare and Pharmacy

Get Recall Ready

Being prepared to deploy a recall notification when the need strikes is a key factor in executing recalls quickly and effectively. To help ensure every organization is ready to respond as efficiently as possible, our ECCnet Recall solution includes an annual Recall Ready status certification, something many data recipients using Recall require.

Attaining Recall Ready status ensures an organization is already familiar with the recall notification process, building the skills and experience needed to use Recall quickly and effectively. It includes completing specialized training modules, conducting an annual Mock Recall to ensure the Recall tool is set up for immediate use.

Our Recall solution draws on industry expertise and the power of standards to help our subscribers overcome common recall notification issues:

Use of multiple manual processes to issue recall notifications, track responses, numbers of products successfully recalled and maintain reports is inefficient and can result in inconsistencies, gaps and errors

One-to-one communication with affected trading partners can take an excessive amount of time to communicate something that requires urgent notification

Cumbersome, inefficient methods such as faxing or individual telephone calls can require hiring a team just to handle the volume of telephone calls

Communication methods, such as using couriers, to notify trading partners of recalls can be very costly

Audits take a long time with additional resources needed to find all required information

Trading partners rely on good faith that brand owners can execute a recall quickly

Our Recall solution draws on industry expertise and the power of standards to help our subscribers overcome common recall notification issues:

All required information on recalled products is not always provided, such as quantities, batch number, lot number, expiry date or product images

Time is wasted searching for missing information

No system to easily confirm and acknowledge the recall notification with brand owners

Internal processes for alerting recall receivers with multiple internal locations about the recall are inefficient

No efficient way of providing frontline team members with clear directions and product images to quickly and accurately remove the correct product

Recall receivers need a way to easily reply to recall notifications and report the number of products removed, which is especially important in securing product refunds from the vendor

GS1 Canada is directed by industry to solve non-competitive, non-proprietary business process issues. Our ECCnet Recall solution enables businesses of all scale across multiple sectors to engage in the following business processes.

Primary Business Process:

Product Recall Withdrawal Notifications

Secondary Business Processes:

A GS1 Canada study of Recall Ready subscribers found that ECCnet Recall reduced the time to deploy a recall notification by 83% when compared to using individual couriers or fax methods. Powered by the one-to-many capability, ECCnet Recall can drastically reduce the time spent on individual notifications, saving time, money and resources.

With Recall’s cloud software, you never have to worry about accessibility to your important product recall files. With remote access to ECCnet Recall from anywhere, you can ensure that your trading partners aren’t delayed in receiving your recall notification.

If recalled products re-surface from an unfound lot or batch, you can update the original notification, rather than opening a brand-new case

Increased Accuracy

Standardized fields, system rules and validations, unique GTINs and the ability to include images ensure that your trading partners have the information needed to efficiently remove the correct recalled product from shelves

Automated Reminders and Updates

ECCnet Recall automatically sends a report listing the email bouncebacks received from your trading partners and deploys reminders to recipients who have not acknowledged the notification after 24 hours, 7 days and 28 days. This removes the need for frequent follow up.

You can also update trading partners when a recall is complete, letting them know it is safe to resume sales or use of the item.

Traceability, Real-time Tracking and Information Exchange

Track responses to your recall notifications online. Automatic, time-stamped reporting of recall receipts and ‘Returned Product’ reports provide visibility around who has seen the recall, who has actioned it, and how many products have been identified and removed.

A GS1 Canada industry pilot showed that ECCnet Recall reduced the time it took to complete effectiveness reporting by 90%, compared to traditional recall notification processes

You can exchange notes with your trading partners within the Recall tool, and update your notification if multiple trading partners are asking similar questions

Use ECCnet Recall to provide optional content and instructions such as return and reimbursement instructions

Standardized Content and Compliance

ECCnet Recall was developed through direction from, and collaboration with, our boards, advisory councils and work groups representing risk management experts from trading partners of all sizes. Their input helped create category-specific forms to ensure you meet all trading partner and regulatory requirements, increasing speed and eliminating unnecessary back and forth.

Our ECCnet Recall solution leverages global standards, including GTIN, GLN, GSRN and GDTI, as well as modern technologies and best practices, resulting in a best-in-class process for receiving product recall notifications and optimizing the recall notification process

Receive recall notifications faster when they are sent by data providers who use ECCnet Recall’s one-to-many notification process, enabling you to remove potentially harmful products from your shelves as quickly as possible

Define specific recall contacts to ensure the right person receives all recall notifications, avoiding potential delays from notifications going to the wrong person. Opt-in to receive text messages and alerts.

With ECCnet Recall’s cloud software, you never have to worry about accessibility to your important product recall files. With remote access to ECCnet Recall from anywhere, you can ensure that you never miss a product recall notification.

Access the solution 24/7 – any time a recall strikes

Automated Reminders and Updates

ECCnet Recall automatically sends reminders to unacknowledged notifications after 24 hours, 7 days and 28 days so you’ll never miss an update

A brand owner can mark a recall as 'Complete,' giving you visibility and confidence to resume product sales or use of that item

Standardized Content and Compliance

ECCnet Recall was developed through direction from, and collaboration with, our boards, advisory councils and work groups representing risk management experts from trading partners of all sizes

Be confident you are receiving all the required recall product images and information the first time around, eliminating the need for wasteful and unnecessary back and forth

Our ECCnet Recall solution leverages global standards, including GTIN, GLN, GSRN and GDTI, as well as modern technologies and best practices, resulting in a best-in-class process for receiving product recall notifications and optimizing the recall notification process

ECCnet Recall complies with the requirements of Health Canada, CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) and the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point)

Traceability, Real-time Tracking and Information Exchange

Track real-time responses to your redistributed recall notifications online, through automatic reporting of time-stamped recall receipts and ‘Returned Product’ reports. This increases visibility around who has seen the recall, who has actioned it, and how many of the affected products have been identified and removed.

See a history of the recall activity from all trading partners, including how many recalls you have received in total and the amount of recalled product you have in stock for each recall

Acknowledge and send read receipts to brand owner

Ability to exchange notes, and send questions or comments to the brand owner

Report back to brand owner the number of products being recalled from your organization

Easy Distribution to Your Internal Locations

Internal Locations Distribution is an optional premium feature that enables you to easily forward recall notifications to your related locations (such as pharmacy or restaurant chain locations, warehouses or other facilities), rather than contacting each location individually. This enables you to remove the recalled product from all your locations as efficiently as possible.

The ECCnet Recall Process

In the example above, the recall initiator uses ECCnet Recall to initiate a product recall notification. The receiver of this notification can opt to use the Internal Locations Distribution premium feature to share the notification with their warehouses, distribution centres, hospitals, facilities and stores.

All recall notification recipients have the duty to identify the number of products removed, providing visibility across the entire supply chain.

Within ECCnet Recall, the recall receiver knows how many of the affected products have been identified and removed by its internal locations and the recall initiator knows how many have been identified and removed by all of its trading partners. The recall initiator can then report this information to Health Canada.

The ECCnet Recall solution currently supports the following Health Canada product categories:

Food and Beverage

Retail Grocery

Foodservice

General Merchandise

All General Merchandise categories

Healthcare

Pharmacy

Medical Devices

Natural Health Products

Subscribing to GS1 Canada’s ECCnet Recall Solution is an important first step toward protecting your organization in the event of a recall. The next step for recall initiators is to become Recall Ready to ensure your organization is ready to react immediately when a recall strikes.

How to Become Recall Ready

Register two or more users in your organization: an initiator, who opens new recall notifications and an approver, who reviews all notifications for accuracy

Become a recall informed: GS1 Canada has global, best-in-class bilingual training modules. Visit our Learning Zone and test your Recall knowledge. Score 90% or more on our online assessment to receive your Certificate of Recall Course Completion. Engage with our practical training modules until you have the knowledge you need.

Complete a minimum of one Mock Recall per year: Mock Recall simulates a real-life product recall step-by-step. You can use GS1 Canada as the recipient of Mock Recalls. Mock recalls must be completed annually, as required by Hazard Control and Analysis Control Point (HACCP) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Recall Tool is available to GS1 Canada subscribers in good standing. Your Subscription Administrator must complete the following steps.

Click this link and use your myGS1 credentials to access the ECCnet Recall subscription form

Choose which types of ECCnet Recall you need and fill out your details

Within one business day you will receive an email asking you to confirm your details, select your company type:

Initiator – if you will be generating product recall notifications and sending them to your trading partners

Receiver – if you will be receiving product recall notifications from your suppliers

Both – if you will be both initiating and receiving product recall notifications. This type is generally applicable to brokers and distributors

Accept the End User License Agreement (EULA) and set up your password

Set up any additional users who need access. Recall initiators should set up at least one initiator and at least one approver as users. Recall recipients can be set up as a receiver or a viewer. As a best practice, Health Canada and CFIA recommends a minimum of two users to be set up in each role at any given point in time.

Your new users will receive an email instructing them on how to set up their account